Growing a Conscience II (Erica’s Conscience)

I took some lemon green tea to calm me down, it was a good employee and it did it’s job well.

Mixing tea with honey was the perfect concoction to make me forget.

Darn! Why did I let her go? What was she doing now?

In the arms of that sucker! Oh my! He was making me swear. . .

Almost immediately, as she was scolding herself, there was a knock on the door.

‘Come in,’ she said. But whoever was knocking did not hear or was trying to avoid walking in on something embarrassing like her bra on her bed.

She opened her window and peeped out, all she saw was a baseball cap, a guy.

‘Come in,’ she said a little louder, and he did, looking confused. She didn’t know who he was and he didn’t know who she was. So, he did the first thing thing that entered his mind she presumed. He pulled the closest chair and sat on it.

Really! Who sits down without being offered a seat?

He didn’t say anything; I think he was waiting her to speak but she said nothing, she was thinking of her, her conscience was really making her cranky.

I’m looking for Cece,’ he said, a little unsure.

‘She’s not around,’ she replied with an irritation in her tone. They were the only ones in the room, wasn’t it obvious that Cece wasn’t here?

Oh! I thought you were Cece, you look like her,’ he said. ‘I haven’t seen her in a while. . .’

Mind you, I look nothing like Cece, nothing!

He went on to try and save what was left of the awkward moment but I didn’t encourage him. So, he said his goodbye, didn’t leave his name for Cece and I didn’t ask for it. I was once again alone, wondering where Cece was, like I didn’t know. I soon fell asleep with my thoughts, the tea dragging me into oblivion.

She was traveling alone. The last time she traveled alone was when she was fifteen, she was going home. Home was with her mother and her three older brothers, her dad not quite in the equation but then, life wasn’t always complete.

But when she got home, it was only her mother she saw. Then, she saw her childhood friends, two boys, yes they were boys not as old as she was now. It didn’t seem strange they were young and not her age but she flowed. They showed her the house, it wasn’t big but it was enough. She went outside and it was even more amazing, tall trees, the kind you see in Hobbits, green lands and hills, it was her dream. So, she did what you would have done, she took her phone out and took pictures, she was going to send them to him. She captioned them ‘my view’, then she smiled and took selfies as she walked. She always did think people who took selfies were silly but today she was one of them and it was okay. It was going to be the best holiday at home, she hadn’t been this happy in a while, the wind agreed with her good fortune and blew her braids happily.

Erica! Erica!’ her mum called.

‘Coming Mum!’ she replied, sad to leave her new delight.

But when she walked back to the house, it wasn’t her mother who had called her, nor was her mother there. She could only see a sobbing girl, it was Cece! Cece was back! But how did Cece get here?

She opened her eyes widely, and blinked twice, she was back in her room. She saw the chair that forward baseball cap guy had sat on, and there in the corner of the second bed in the room, lay Cece, curled up like a ball, sobbing but trying very hard not to make a sound.

Oh God! What had happened?

‘Cece, Cece!’ Erica called as she tried to uncurl her friend. But Cece wouldn’t utter one word, just more sobs and her face was stained with dry tears, the girl couldn’t even shed tears anymore, she was petrified!

‘Cece! Speak to me!’ she tried one more time but Cece wouldn’t open her mouth to speak, only to groan.